As Light as it is Beautiful
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: Eugene asks Rapunzel about her hair.


Eugene's eyes darted to Rapunzel's form as she stirred, moving from side to side. He supposed that, since she wasn't used to sleeping outside, the grass wasn't soft enough to replace the relaxing feel of her comfortable bed in the tower.

After her twenty-third time tossing and turning - don't ask why he kept count - Rapunzel sighed and lay on her back, apparently giving up her attempt to sleep. Her fingers were on her stomach and she tapped them to an irregular beat before looking at him.

The fire was strong enough for her to see that his eyes were open and she assumed a position on her side, facing him. "You look so comfortable."

"I am. The grass is soft enough."

She let out a sigh. "I wish it were for me. I've been spoiled by my bed and pillows in the tower."

"But you do have your hair. Why don't you cocoon yourself inside it? That might make you feel more relaxed."

Rapunzel's eyes brightened. "That's a great idea! My hair is pretty thick." With a joyful hum, she stood up and walked several paces away from where she'd been resting. Then she lay on the ground, curled her body into the fetal position and rolled herself up in the flaxen locks.

Eugene chuckled as he looked upon her. She was as snug as a bug in a rug, but she had an advantage over a bug since she was very pretty. The thought came to him out of the blue, but he didn't try to ignore it. Rapunzel _was_ pretty. He would even go so far as to say that she was beautiful.

She was also the most accomplished young woman he'd ever met. Extremely well-read, talented in sewing and baking and dancing from everything she'd told him tonight. Her innocence was something pure and true, a trait that he hadn't seen in anyone he'd ever encountered before. It was endearing and made him was to protect her. No woman had ever brought out such feelings in him.

A gust of wind blew and a few strands of Rapunzel's hair came loose, settling on the ground next to him. Curiously, he picked them up and observed the locks. They were just as shiny and golden as they had been when he first met her. He rubbed his fingers on it and surprisingly, her hair didn't feel dirty or frizzy.

"Is something interesting over there?" Rapunzel's lilting voice pulled him out of his wonderment.

"Oh. Your hair. It's...it's so fresh. After everything we've even through today, I would've thought it'd get a little dirty, but it's fine. In fact," he sniffed it and chuckled. "It smells like you just washed it an hour ago. That's not normal."

"No, it isn't. What about hair like mine _is_ normal?" Rapunzel rolled a couple more times until a few feet separated the two of them. "I thought about it a lot as a little girl and so finally figured my hair is so special, it's like a type of magic. Since it heals and makes things young again, maybe it also restores itself in a way."

"Like it replenishes your scalp? That makes sense and it explains the constant shine your hair has. Maybe it also shields your hair from dirt and grease. You've rolled in the grass a few times and I can't see a single blade in here." At this, Eugene patted the large bundle of hair wrapped around Rapunzel's head.

"I can't think of anything else to explain it either. All I do is brush it, but I don't even have to do that since it never gets tangled. As silly as is sounds, my hair must be magical, so it has powers to take care of itself. That's good for me. The last thing I'd want to do is spend hours and hours trying to wash this hair. It'd get filthy!" She let out a giggle and Eugene couldn't resist laughing with her.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something else, but a yawn came out and her eyelids dropped considerably. "Hm. You were right about wrapping myself in my hair. I feel so relaxed now." Tentatively, she reached her hand out from the gigantic bundle of blonde locks and touched his shoulder. "Good night, Eugene." A tiny smile spread across her lips as she pulled her hand back and closed her eyes.

"Good night, Rapunzel," he whispered. For a long time, he just gazed at her sleeping face, watching while the fire slowly ebbed away until there was no light to illuminate her but the moon and the stars. At the risk of sounding like an affected poet, she looked like an angel.

Who knew that a girl with magical hair who lived in a tower her whole life could spark such feelings in him? At this rate, he'd end up falling in love with her, and that thought didn't scare him at all.


End file.
